Galatians 1:3-5 ESV
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, gave his life up for us
on that cross to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of
God. This is what Jesus’ death on that cross was all about, to deliver us from
evil, to deliver us out of this sinful world that we might be separate (unlike,
different) from the world now that we are being conformed to the likeness of
Jesus Christ. For this is what it means to be holy, which we are to be.
It doesn’t mean that we don’t live in the world. We do. But
that we are to no longer partake in the things of this sinful world. We are to
no longer take on the character and attitudes and behaviors of those who are of
this world and who are living according to the flesh. We are to no longer walk
in sin like we did before Jesus delivered us from our slavery to sin. But we
are now to walk in holiness and in righteousness in the power of God living
within us.
[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Rom 12:1-2; Tit
2:11-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15,21; 1 Co 6:19-20; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 2:15-17;
etc.]
Galatians 1:6-9 ESV
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
The “different gospel” Paul was addressing here was what the
Judaizers were trying to convince the Gentile Christians that they needed to
follow for salvation. They were telling them that they had to be circumcised
(males only, I believe), and that they had to keep some of the Old Covenant
liturgical and ceremonial laws and customs, perhaps more specific to days in
weeks and religious holy days and foods that they could or could not eat.
This is not something that most of us Christians are being
faced with today, although legalism does still exist, and there are still Judaizers
today who are trying to convince Christians that it would improve their walks
of faith if they were more like Jews in some ways and if they participated with
them in some of their religious customs and practices.
But the “different gospel” which is permeating the church
(or what is falsely called “church”) here in America is what has been named the
“cheap grace gospel” because it cheapens and it diminishes and it adulterates
the grace of God and the gospel of Christ so that it does not teach that Jesus
died on that cross to deliver us out of this evil age. It teaches that Jesus
died to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven when we die, and it stops
there.
This “different gospel” which is the predominant gospel
being taught in the church in America, although not in every congregation, does
not teach that we must die with Christ to sin. It does not teach that faith in
Jesus Christ means that we forsake our lives of sin to follow Jesus in
obedience, even though that is what the Scriptures teach. It teaches we can “believe”
(not defined) in Jesus and now heaven is secured us no matter what.
So, if we teach that God requires repentance (turning away
from our sinful practices) and turning to him to follow him in obedience, as
necessary components of believing faith which saves, then we get accused of
teaching works salvation or Lordship salvation. But what we are teaching is
what Jesus taught and it is what Paul and the other apostles (New Testament)
taught, so it is the truth of the gospel and it is why Jesus died on that
cross.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn
15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1
Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col
3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn
2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27;
Rev 22:14-15]
So, if any people are teaching the opposite of this, and if
they are teaching that you don’t have to repent of your sins and that you don’t
have to obey the Lord and that you can keep living in sin, only now guilt free,
and that heaven is guaranteed you when you die regardless of how you live, they
are lying to you and they are to be accursed (given up to destruction).
Galatians 1:10 ESV
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
One of the reasons that people are teaching this cheap grace
gospel is because they are seeking the approval of man (of the flesh) and they
are not seeking the approval of God. And this is because the church in America
has largely gone the way of the world and has turned their gatherings into
marketplaces where they are marketing “the church” to the people of this sinful
world. And so they are doing what will attract them to “the church.”
And so they have altered the meaning of “church” to where it
is now a business of man which is appealing to the felt needs of the people of
the world because their goal is to draw in large crowds of people from the
world to their gatherings. And so they learn ways in which they can attract the
people of the world through entertainment, fun, games, motivational speeches,
and friendly and relaxed and non-threatening atmospheres.
For they not only want to fill their “churches” (businesses)
with the people of the world, but they want them to keep coming back. And so
they purposefully do what will keep them coming back, including they dilute the
gospel to make it more acceptable to the people, for they don’t want to offend
anyone with the truth of the gospel. So drawing in people from the world has
nothing to do with leading them to genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
And so those who are looking for the approval of man and who
are not living their lives to be pleasing to God are not true servants of
Christ, but they are charlatans or they are wolves in sheep’s clothing or they
are flim-flam artists whose goal it is to add numbers of people to their
gathering so that they can grow their businesses which they falsely call “churches.”
And some of them have the goal to turn hearts away from Jesus Christ, too,
sadly enough.
He
Gives Purpose
An
Original Work / June 9, 2012
“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.
Obey freely My word.
Follow Me in all of My ways.
Do all that I say.
Hear Me gently whisper to you
My will for your life and future.
Give all of your life and heart to
Follow Me always.”
Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.
He’s your Lord and Master.
He died for your sins so you could
Live with Him today.
He has a plan for your life and
He gives purpose and direction.
He gives meaning to your life,
So follow Him today.
“I love you so much I gave My life for
You to walk in My ways,
Living for Me each day as you
Bow to Me and pray.
Witness for Me of your love for Me and
Of My grace and mercy,
How I died to save you of your
Sins now and always.”
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